The Only Constant in Life Seems to Be Change

The Only Constant in Life Seems to Be Change

Recently life in my family has changed. Our foster son moved out after 6 and a half years of living with us. We all knew that this day was coming. We all thought we had another school year before this happened. Apparently we didn’t. It ended abruptly with out notice and certainly without closure.

Its been tough on the family. Financially we need to make new plans. And emotionally its been a struggle. My daughter who was 10 months old when Z moved in struggles and misses “her big brother”. There is a large emptiness in the house. I miss the quirkiness of a child with severe challenges mentally and physically, who brightened my life with crazy sayings and odd words. A kid, although 21 years old, who was constantly concerned with getting the mail and incessantly asking, “What are we going to do about dinner?” I could go on and on telling funny stories about him but mostly I miss him terrible.

Being a foster parent has been one of the most rewarding things I have done in my life. I thank the Lord for giving me the ability to care for some one in need.

The constant of life is the ever changing landscape. Friends, neighbors, coworkers and even family members come and go. Some stay for a short time and others stay longer. Some leave a lasting impression and a few leave path of love.

There seems to be a superstition among many thousands of our young who hold hands and smooch in the drive-ins that marriage is a cottage surrounded by perpetual hollyhocks, to which a perpetually young and handsome husband comes home to a perpetually young and ravishing wife. When the hollyhocks wither and boredom and bills appear, the divorce courts are jammed.

Anyone who imagines that bliss is normal is going to waste a lot of time running around shouting that he’s been robbed. The fact is that most putts don’t drop. Most beef is tough. Most children grow up to be just ordinary people. Most successful marriages require a high degree of mutual toleration. Most jobs are more often dull than otherwise. . . .

Life is like an old-time rail journey—delays, sidetracks, smoke, dust, cinders, and jolts, interspersed only occasionally by beautiful vistas and thrilling bursts of speed. The trick is to thank the Lord for letting you have the ride. ––Jenkin Lloyd Jones